Around Us, the World Burns
by Takara Phoenix
Summary: Parent Switch AU - In a world where Percy Jackson is the son of Hephaestus and not Poseidon, he doesn't have to bear the brunt force of the Titan War. He gets to rely on his cabin-head and big brother Beckendorf and he grows up with his younger half-brother Leo, after their father brings him to the Jacksons when Esperanza Valdez died. Nico/Percy slash Nicercy


Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || Around Us, the World Burns || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy

Title: Around Us, the World Burns – Fire of the Forges, Fire of the Underworld

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: m/m, fluff, parent switch AU, m/f

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Jake/Will, Charles/Silena, Chris/Clarisse, Grover/Juniper, Paul/Sally

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Nico di Angelo, Leo Valdez, Bianca di Angelo, Thalia Grace, Annabeth Chase, Will Solace, Jake Mason, Nyssa Black, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, Clarisse la Rue, Chris Rodriguez, Grover Underwood, Juniper, Sally Jackson, Paul Blofis, Mrs. O'Leary, Blackjack, Festus

Summary: In a world where Percy Jackson is the son of Hephaestus and not Poseidon, he doesn't have to bear the brunt force of the Titan War. He gets to rely on his cabin-head and big brother Beckendorf and he grows up with his younger half-brother Leo, who their father brings to them when Esperanza Valdez died.

 **Around Us, the World Burns**

 _Fire of the Forges, Fire of the Underworld_

Sally heaved a deep sigh as she looked at the seven-year old little boy with the large, almond-colored eyes and the wild curls. He looked so sad and lonely and how could Sally have said no to her former lover when he stood in front of Sally's home with the freshly orphaned demigod.

"Sweetie", whispered Sally gently. "I'm Sally. I'll keep you safe."

Lifting the boy up in her arms, she carried him inside the apartment. Percy was sitting on the couch, drawing dragons. He _loved_ dragons. Sally smiled gently as she looked at her son. Percy was special, a very special little boy. A demigod. Son of Hephaestus. And so was little Leo.

"Percy, sweetheart", called Sally out.

"Ye—eah, mom? Wait. Who's that?", asked Percy surprised.

"That's Leo. He... He is your half-brother", said Sally gently. "Your father, after we... separated, before he died, he had another son. Leo's mom, she... she died. And I was thinking about taking him in, so the two of can grow up as brothers."

Percy jumped off the couch and walked over to stand in front of Leo. Leo was two years younger than Percy and well over a head shorter. The tiny Latino looked up at Percy with the largest, saddest puppy-dog eyes. Looking Leo up and down, Percy nodded.

"Okay. You're my brother now", declared Percy with a smile.

Leo looked afraid for a moment, but Percy didn't allow for objections, instead he pulled Leo over toward the kitchen to give him from Sally's home-made cookies. Smiling pleased, Sally closed the door. She knew she had raised a good one there. Percy was truly special, not just because he was a demigod, but because of who he was as a person. Sure, life was hard at times, with only Percy and Sally, but she would rather work three jobs than hand her son over to that demigod camp.

/break\

"O—oh boy! Run, run, _run_!", exclaimed Percy wide-eyed. "Quick, before he gets us!"

He grabbed his little brother by the hand and pulled him along. Leo yelped and followed, stumbling after the two-year-older boy. Percy's best friend Grover was squeaking as he ran after them.

"Pe—ercy, you have to stop pranking everyone!", exclaimed Grover panicky.

"Where's the fun in that?", asked Percy, throwing a big grin at Grover over his shoulder.

Percy was twelve and had just entered Yancy Academy this year. He had made his first friend there, Grover. Well, his first non-brother-friend. Leo was also his best friend. Sure, two years were like a giant age-gap, but Percy didn't mind! Leo was precious and fun and as mischievous as Percy.

The three of them made it around the corner and toward the Jackson home. As soon as they were inside and up in their apartment, the three boys collapsed on the ground, laughing. There was this one grumpy, mean old man who had said something really bad to Leo last week, so of course Percy had to pay him back for that. No one made his little brother feel unwelcome.

"Boys. What did you do this time?", sighed Sally as she came from the kitchen.

"Mister Miller told Leo to 'get back home' last week. And he didn't mean _our_ home", mumbled Percy with a frown as he sat up. "He meant away 'home', which is stupid because Leo's from Texas! And I'm not okay with stupid people making my brother sad, mom."

Heaving a sigh, Sally went and got cake. She did not approve of the way Percy liked to deal with problems, but she did like that he always stood up for his brother. Leo was still a rather quiet child. He had opened up a lot in the past two years, but having lost his mother, having been _there_ when he lost his mother... It had traumatized the child. It'd take time to properly deal with the loss. But Percy had really helped make Leo feel welcomed and loved here. Sally frowned as she saw Grover.

It was spring. He had been Percy's best friend since Percy had entered Yancy Academy. A few months later, he had approached Sally, told her he was a satyr, told her he knew the two boys were demigods. Told her to send them to Camp Half-Blood. She was reluctant about it. He promised it would just be for the summer. Being safe during the summer, being _trained_ during the summer. So they could defend themselves against monsters in the mortal world. And she knew he was right. If she didn't want them to end up being year-rounders at camp to be safe, she had to send them away for the summer to give them the chance to learn how to defend themselves. It was just a hard conversation to have and she kept pushing it off. She'd have it, before summer.

"I should get home", stated Grover, throwing Sally a last pointed look.

"Aw", pouted Percy as he hugged his best friend. "See you at school tomorrow?"

Sally sighed as she watched the satyr go. Placing the cake on the table, her sons immediately gathered around her. Perhaps she should just get this over with. If she waited too long...

"Boys, there is something about your father that I need to tell you", started Sally.

Both Percy and Leo paused, cake half-way in their already overstuffed mouths (monsters were not going to kill them. They were most likely going to choke on their food because they forgot to chew...). Both stared wide-eyed at her, because Sally _never_ spoke of their father.

"What... What I told you... What I told you about him is not... entirely the truth", admitted Sally. "Your father isn't... dead. He's... He's a _god_. A Greek god."

"Like in the good-night stories?", asked Leo with very large puppy-eyes.

"Yes, that's why I read them to you at night", confirmed Sally with a smile, ruffling Leo's curls. "Because all the legends are true. All the gods are alive and you... you're demigods."

"Like Hercules?", asked Percy and perked up.

"Very much so", nodded Sally. "You're... demigods. And like in the movie, demigods have to train to become great heroes. And... there is a summer-camp where they would train you. You'd spend two months there to train and make friends with other demigods."

"That sounds so cool", whispered Percy, mouth an o.

"Which god is our dad?", wanted Leo to know eagerly. "Is it Hades? Hades is _the coolest_!"

"...We're going to have a conversation about you thinking the one villain god in the movie was the coolest, Leo", muttered Sally a bit disturbed. "But no. It's not Hades. Your dad is Hephaestus."

"...The grumpy one?", asked Percy with a frown, remembering him. "Can't we have Hermes?"

Sally sputtered and laughed a little before kissing his cheek. "That's not how that works, sweetie. And your father, he's... he's not that grumpy. He's a very gentle soul. I met him when my car broke down in winter. It was cold and I was freezing and fixing it myself at the road-side when he appeared and helped me. And you have your talent with technology from him."

Both boys stared at each other eagerly at that. They always took their toys apart and built new and better toys. Taking apart the toaster to give it robot-legs so it could walk up to the bed with the hot toast. Her boys were clever and sweet and they shouldn't be forced to _fight_.

/break\

Grover was a satyr. That was sorta cool. Especially since Grover was way cooler than Phil from the _Hercules_ movie. Leo and Percy had tinkered around with Percy's old Pokédex. It used to just be a toy with the fake animals' data. Now, it held the data of gods and creatures. A portable database for them, because Percy was really not good at remembering myths and names. So by the time summer rolled around and mom dropped Percy and Leo off at the summer-camp. Grover was happily welcoming them, hugging them and then bringing them in to show them around. First, he introduced them to Chiron (which prompted Percy and Leo to update their Mythodex, because they had vaguely gone off the _Hercules_ TV cartoon series). And then they met their siblings.

"There's so many", whispered Leo softly as they entered Hephaestus Cabin.

"No worry, kiddo", chuckled Charles Beckendorf, resting one hand on each of their heads. "I'm your cabin-head and older brother and I will be watching out for you."

Percy stared up at the guy in awe. He had never had a _big_ brother before. He always only had his mom and Leo. That was his family. Now, he suddenly had a whole cabin filled with siblings.

/break\

"So... all that bad weather is because Zeus' favorite toy was stolen?", asked Percy curiously.

He was laying at the beach with Leo, Nyssa, Jake and Annabeth. Annabeth was really clever and a designer of her own rights, but mostly she was also a really good friend of Grover's. Leo and Percy had gained her attention with their Mythodex – and while _their_ information had mainly been based on the Disney cartoon show and their childhood bedtime stories. So, Annabeth, Percy and Leo had bonded over updating the intel on the Mythodex and its software.

"Ye—es", sighed Annabeth frustrated, glaring at the sky.

She was itching to go on a quest. Percy knew that. She had told him about it. How Luke Castellan had been the last one to go on a quest and since then, two years ago, quests had been banned. Which, really made little sense to Percy, considering quests were literally why there were demigods, right? Especially since no one had died. Sure, Luke had a nasty scar now, but... not even missing limbs. That seemed a little drastic a reaction. But Percy was not going to stir trouble. He had promised his mom. So he wasn't going to question the way this camp worked.

"So... we're literally just going to sit here, do nothing?", asked Percy, frowning.

"Don't even think about sneaking out on a quest", warned Nyssa, poking Percy in the stomach. "You're a newbie who can barely hold a sword. You're twelve years old. You are so not going on such an important and huge quest. You're gonna help us tune the chariots."

"When you say tune, you mean like a car?", asked Leo and perked up.

Nyssa grinned broadly and bumped fists with Jake. Now that sounded far better to Percy. He and Leo had classes teaching them hand-to-hand combat and sword-play and strategy. It made sense to first learn the basics before attempting a quest. Though, Percy _definitely_ wanted to go on a quest with Annabeth at one point. Adventure sounded awesome and she knew what she was doing, right?

/break\

Leo liked Nyssa and Jake a lot. They took care of Leo and Percy, showing them around, being responsible for the newbies. They were nice and built awesome stuff with Leo and Percy. Leo was also happy that he got to share a bunk-bed with Percy, just like at home. It was the fighting that Leo didn't like _at all_. The training. His big brother was pretty good at it.

"You're not too shabby, runt", grunted Clarisse as she pinned Percy again.

"Clarisse, go soft on him! He's still new", chided Silena loudly.

"Shut up, Barbie. Training is mine. When he needs a make-over we call you", barked Clarisse.

"Why is she so mean?", whispered Leo disturbed.

Silena smiled, despite the rudeness aimed at her. "It's okay. She is just... rough around the edges."

"And she got a lot of edges", muttered Nyssa pointedly.

Leo giggled at that, while Silena aimed her chiding glare at Nyssa, who just shrugged unapologetically. They were sitting on the stands, watching the training-session. Even when Percy was doing other things than Leo, Leo still preferred to stick close. It's only been two weeks of camp so far and even though Leo was getting more used to the others, especially their siblings, he was still being rather... clingy. He knew that. He knew he was being clingy with Percy, but Percy was _his_. Percy and Sally had taken him in after his mother had died. They were his family now. And a part of Leo was still afraid of losing them too.

/break\

"I'm gonna miss you, man", muttered Percy upset, hugging Grover tightly.

"I know", chuckled Grover, hugging back. "But I gotta go looking for Pan."

Annabeth was frowning as she hugged him too. There were tears in the corners of her eyes. It was stupid. But... He was the last one she had left. Thalia had died, Luke had... had _betrayed_ them as had been revealed days ago, now Grover was leaving. Annabeth felt so alone.

"Watch out for Perce?", asked Grover softly into her neck. "He's good."

"I know he's good", huffed Annabeth. "But..."

"You gotta make new friends, Annabeth", grinned Grover. "Can't just keep clinging onto the past."

Sighing, Annabeth nodded, albeit reluctantly so. She did like Percy well-enough. He and his brother had come up with something really useful. They were clever. Fun. It had been a while since Annabeth last had _fun_. Grover always accused her of being too serious...

"Watch out for yourself", sighed Annabeth. "I... really can't lose anyone else."

Grover grinned and waved at his friends as he left camp. Leo frowned, clinging onto Percy's hand.

"Okay, how about we go and spar some, Annabeth?", offered Percy with a grin.

He wrapped one arm around Annabeth's shoulders, knowing the blonde could need a distraction and fighting always helped her blow off some steam. Sighing, Annabeth nodded.

"This whole summer is just _frustrating_ ", growled Annabeth. "The Master Bolt disappears and reappears without any quest, now Grover left..."

"Next year", shrugged Percy, tilting his head. "Next year, you and me are teens. We are _so_ going to get a quest. Right? Something small and cool. You and me."

"Hey!", protested Leo. "You're not going anywhere without me, big brother!"

"...You're ten, Leo", whispered Percy with a frown. "We'll... see about it, okay?"

Leo squinted up at his big brother. He knew Percy was kind of right. He was only ten and this stuff was dangerous. But Percy would only be 13 by next year too!

/break\

"Be safe on your quest!", ordered Leo, hugging his big brother tightly.

Beckendorf chuckled as he found himself in the center of a group-hug. Leo, Jake, Nyssa and Percy were piling around him. 2007 was going to be his year, apparently. Another summer, this one with a quest. A quest for Clarisse la Rue to go and look for the Golden Fleece. Logically, she had picked Beckendorf, the best engineer in all of camp, to go with her on the quest, because they would have to travel into the Sea of Monsters on a ship. If the ship broke down, someone able to fix it was vital.

"I'm gonna be fine. You kids, train. Jake's in charge until I return, so behave yourselves."

Percy frowned as he looked after his older brother, pulling Leo up against his chest as he watched them leave. A summer with a quest but once again, not for the brothers. Annabeth was going with them. Then again, Annabeth was thirteen, had trained long.

"You think Annabeth will be fine?", asked Leo concerned.

"Beckendorf will watch out for her", promised Percy. "Come on. Time to train for us so we'll be able to help next summer too, mh? And I think we have a project to finish up."

"Flying motorbike. Ye—es", nodded Jake as he joined them on the other side.

"Still not sure if that's a good idea", snorted Nyssa as she followed the brothers.

/break\

It was a good distraction. And since they were worried about Beckendorf, that distraction would fit them all very well. Or, at least it _should_. If the whole thing wouldn't have blown up on day three. The camp was on fire. Campers were screaming, running around. Jake laid on the ground, injured.

"No, no, no, no, no!", screamed Juniper.

She was a tree-nymph. Percy had seen Grover make heart-eyes at her. If her tree caught fire, she would _die_. Frowning, he ran up to her, even as his siblings shouted.

"Stop!", called Percy, closing his eyes tightly.

There were gasps all around them. When Percy opened his eyes, the fire was a solid wall, two inches from Percy's hand, not touching him, or the nymph behind him. Blinking slowly, Percy took a step forward – and the wall pushed back a step. Okay. So, he could control fire. Interesting.

"...You can control it", whispered Nyssa. "Okay, Percy, that's... fine. Children of Hephaestus used to be able to do that. It's very rare. Can you... Can you concentrate and control this fire? End it?"

Nodding sharply, Percy closed his eyes again and concentrated hard. Controlling fire. He could do that. Opening his eyes, he used his hands as anchor points to see what he was doing. He was pushing the fire back, like he was trying to crumble up paper. In the end, all that remained was a ball of fire. Grinning, Percy picked it up and then just shook it out.

"That was awesome!", exclaimed Leo as he ran up to Percy.

"...Why are your clothes burned? Are you alright?", asked Percy worried.

"Turns out Leo's fire-resistant", grunted Jake and winced. "He pulled me out of the fire."

"You look... You look bad", frowned Percy confused and helped his older brother up.

"Let's get everyone who's hurt to the infirmary!", barked Will Solace out annoyed.

He was one of the Apollo kids. His older brothers were already helping the injured. Percy and Nyssa supported Jake from either side and brought him over to Will, who frowned as he knelt down next to him to check on Jake's injuries and treat them.

"Idiot tinkerers", grunted Will unimpressed. "Stop exploding things."

"I'm... sorry", muttered Jake embarrassed, blushing at the intense look on the blonde's face.

"Just... don't do it again", muttered Will, slapping Jake's arm. "And _you_..."

Carefully, Will checked Leo, amazed that the boy was just covered in soot but not actually hurt. Leo wiggled his nose, looking over at his brother who had just controlled a huge wall of fire.

"Does that mean I can do the same as Percy?", asked Leo eagerly.

"We're gonna spend the summer exploring that", grinned Percy broadly.

/break\

Training was exactly what Percy and Leo did until Annabeth and Beckendorf returned – and even after. Annabeth sat curiously as she watched them train, making notes of the way Percy and Leo could control fire. Percy was stronger than Leo, but that figured – he was two years older.

"So, I turn into a tree for a couple years and you get yourself two fire-imps", noted Thalia.

Thalia Grace, former pine-tree, now back to being a demigod. She sat next to Annabeth, with her legs spread out in front of her. There was a lot she had to relearn and Annabeth was showing her around, teaching her. Both girls were so glad to have each other back.

"They're good", whispered Annabeth with a small smile. "They're... friends."

"Hey, wanna get in on training, Zeus Junior?", called Percy out.

"Oh, bring it on, hot-shot!", called Thalia back and got up.

The two had hit it off instantly, somehow. Leo, totally exhausted by the training session, collapsed next to Annabeth. He was still young, he couldn't use his powers for as long as Percy, even though he showed intense potential. Annabeth knew that with more training and age, Leo would become intensely powerful. Smiling, she offered him a drink and a snack.

"Oh no. They're not gonna make another fire-tornado, right?", groaned Nyssa.

"...Let's hope not", chuckled Annabeth as the other girl sat down next to him.

"That had happened _one_ time!", called Thalia and Percy out from the arena.

"One giant-ass fire-tornado is more than enough!", called Nyssa back.

/break\

"This is _amazing_! Demigods. Satyrs. A centaur. Nymphs. Monsters. Heroes!"

Leo blinked doe-eyed at the boy who was chattering away in utter excitement. He was small, about Leo's size and age, with wide eyes as he looked around camp with the same awe as Leo had.

"That's Nico di Angelo. Undeclared demigod. While we go on a quest to save Annabeth, can you keep an eye on Nico, please?", asked Percy with a frown, looking at his brother.

"Save Annabeth?", echoed Leo. "Why? What happened to her? Is she..."

"She... She got abducted", sighed Percy with a frown. "It... It was supposed to be a simple mission. Grover, Thalia, Annabeth and I were just supposed to get Bianca and Nico, but... something went wrong. I just... Thals and I, we're going out there to bring Annabeth back."

"Okay. I'll... watch over Nico", frowned Leo, side-eyeing the new demigod.

Smiling, Percy kissed his little brother's cheek before turning to Nico. "Hey. So, this is my little brother Leo. He's gonna show you around, teach you a few tricks. And... I'm going to keep your sister safe, okay? So you don't have to worry about her."

Nico narrowed his eyes at him before hugging Percy. "Okay. Be safe."

/break\

"This is _so_ cool!", exclaimed Nico excitedly, heart thumping.

Leo had shown him around camp and then handed him over to Travis and Connor to watch over him at Hermes Cabin, where unclaimed demigods got to stay. Everything at camp was so cool. Clarisse had started training him this morning, teaching him how to fight with a sword. Now, Leo was showing off his elemental powers, trying to figure out who Nico's parent was.

"Maybe you can do that too?", asked Leo with a broad grin. "You gotta focus on the warmth in the pit of your belly. Focus on it and... pull it out."

"Leo, there is no way he's-Holy shit!", yelled Jake and backed off.

Blinking, Nico looked at his hand. The flame around it looked different than Nico's. It was green.

"That's... That's no ordinary fire", noted Nyssa with a frown. "That's... underworldly fire."

"Well, that narrows it down to... a few", nodded Nyssa with a frown. "Hecate, Hades... Yeah, no, can't think of any more with potential fire-control..."

Nico's eyes widened. Hecate was pure magic. Hades was death. Both were awesome.

"Okay, try summoning a ghost?", asked Leo eagerly, grinning at him.

Nico liked Leo. He was as excitable as him and enthusiastic and also nice.

"How would I even...?", asked Nico confused, frowning and looking at the older demigods.

"Well, we'll figure it out", grinned Leo. "We got all summer, right?"

/break\

Percy was so exhausted, tired to the bone. The quest had been _exhausting_. Especially the part where he literally held the weight of the world. Also the part in his dad's junkyard. Thankfully enough, machines listened to him so before anything could happen to Bianca di Angelo, Percy had the automaton under control. Zoe however... not as lucky. She had died. Thalia had joined the hunt. Thalia and Bianca had left together with Lady Artemis. But Annabeth was safe and sound.

"I just... I don't understand why my sister would... leave me", whispered Nico.

He was curled together, legs drawn up against his chest as he stared up at the moon. Percy and Leo were sitting on either side of him, Leo having an arm wrapped around Nico's shoulders. Percy turned to look at him. Apparently, Nico had become Leo's best friend while Percy had been on his quest. It was good. Leo had never made a friend without Percy helping him.

"She... didn't want to leave you, but... she also wants her own adventure", offered Percy with a frown. "I think... I mean, she's not out of the world. You will see her again. But now... You're safe here. We're your friends. That doesn't make up for her leaving you, but... you're not alone, Nico."

"Thank you, Percy. For... protecting her too", whispered Nico, looking at Percy.

"Of course", huffed Percy and hugged the other demigod.

/break\

"You know, other children bring home stray cats or puppies", sighed Sally.

Both Percy and Leo were staring up at her with the largest puppy-dog eyes possible. And so did the... pitch-black _dragon_ sitting between them. He was maybe the size of a pony, still young. The boys had found him and brought him home. They said his name was Blackjack and that he had been held captive by the bad guys and managed to escape. Yes. Apparently, both her sons were fluent in _dragon_. Heaving a deep sigh, Sally turned toward her very startled boyfriend. Oh, just thinking that made her feel like a flustered teenager. Paul Blofis was... a very good guy. One of the rare ones.

"A dragon", muttered Paul and shook his head. "And... And it's safe?"

"HE!", exclaimed Leo with a huff. "And he's real nice! He just wants doughnuts."

"Dragons eat doughnuts. Of course", whispered Paul beneath his breath.

"As long as he... ah...is house-trained", offered Sally. "And doesn't set our building on fire."

"Ye—es!", yelped Percy and Leo and hugged.

Blackjack cooed and curled around them, wrapping his large wings around them. He was cute, for a giant fire-breathing lizard. Sally sighed and shook her head, smiling as she looked at her boys.

/break\

"Leo! Percy! You're back!", exclaimed Nico excited and ran to hug the other two.

It was finally summer again and while Nico had to stay, as a year-rounder, he was happy that his friends had returned now that it was summer again. He had grown a little, though he was still shorter than Percy. Nico bit his lips as he looked at Percy. Percy was so cool. Percy was the most amazing person ever. He had come in, like a real-life hero, saving Nico and his sister, then promising to keep her safe and doing so. Not to mention, Nico had spent all of last summer listening to Leo gush about just how awesome his big brother was.

Silena had called it a hero-crush and said it was cute. Nico had _panicked_. A boy couldn't like a boy! What had followed were weeks of Silena reassuring him that boys liking boys and girls liking girls was okay. It had been okay back in the days of the great heroes (and there came the parts of the myths that little Nico had never been told before) and it was being more accepted now too.

So maybe Nico had the tiniest crush on Percy.

"Is that _really_ a dragon?", gasped Nico and stumbled back.

"Yeah, that's Blackjack! He's our friend", declared Leo with a broad grin.

Nico stared wide-eyed as the dragon started nosing him and sniffing him. Grinning, Nico started patting Blackjack as the trio headed back toward the camp. Annabeth was pacing the premise, prompting Percy to look doubtfully at Nico, who just shrugged.

"Odd stuff has been happening around here. Also new camp counselor", shrugged Nico. "Annabeth is suspicious. I just love Mrs. O'Leary a lot, so I think she's overthinking stuff."

"Mrs. O'Leary, huh? She a good counselor?", asked Percy curiously.

Nico grinned mischievously and whistled loudly. The next moment and he was tackled by a very enthusiastic hellhound. She whined and slobbered him before zooming in on his new targets. The next moment and Leo and Percy were pinned to the ground, sniffed and licked by her.

"Wo—oah", gasped Percy. "What... What is she...?"

"Hellhound", grinned Nico. "And it turns out she likes me. I mean, I _am_ a son of Hades..."

"Figures. You're like his prince, right?", laughed Percy, ruffling her fur.

Nico smiled at that. He _was_ a prince, right? He wondered, did he have a chance of getting the boy? It were always the princes and princesses who got the hero of the story...

/break\

Nico frowned as he sat curled together on the rooftop of the Hermes Cabin, Mrs. O'Leary snuggled up against him. He watched from above, he enjoyed that. There were Grover and Juniper, being reunited after Grover had found Pan. Right. Grover had found Pan and Pan had _died_.

Nico had been there. Because Nico, Percy, Annabeth, Grover and Leo had gone into the labyrinth. Daedalus' labyrinth. Quintus turned out to be Daedalus, and then Quintus died. Now Mrs. O'Leary was in Nico's care. She had really taken to him, after all.

"He—ey. You know, it's Independence Day. You shouldn't be all alone."

Nico blinked and turned to look at Percy a bit flustered. Percy and Blackjack landed on the rooftop. While the dragon curled against the hellhound, Percy sat down next to Nico, bumping shoulders.

"Where's Leo?", wanted Nico to know curiously.

"Beckendorf and Silena found a metal-dragon during their date and Leo has been _obsessed_ since then. So, he will be skipping out on the fireworks in favor of checking out the metal-dragon", replied Percy with a shrug, pulling his legs up. "How are you holding up. Ghost King?"

Ah. The name he had earned himself in the labyrinth. Somehow, reading about the ancient heroes was amazing, but... actually being one? He had seen a lot of horrible things.

"Actually being a demigod hero is...", started Nico and halted.

"Not as glorious as you thought?", offered Percy with a slightly bitter smile. "Yeah, I know. But... you were amazing out there. You were totally _my_ hero, Neeks."

Tentatively, Nico leaned against Percy, with Percy wrapping an arm around him. For a long moment, they stayed silent, even as the fireworks went off above them.

/break\

Percy was sitting with his feet dangling in the water. He watched his friends curiously. This summer was rather uneventful. Well, _relatively_ uneventful. They had multiple missions to hit the rebel-army. Well thought out plans to do so, the older demigods taking most missions. Percy had gone on one with Nico and Annabeth, on the Princess Andromeda. To take out the main ship. It had been easy enough; Percy knew how to take apart a ship, Annabeth was the muscle and Nico got them out when everything blew up thanks to his shadow-travel.

For the most part, the summer was a normal one and Percy got to observe his friends.

Beckendorf, Silena, Chris and Clarisse sat together at the shore on a blanket, having a picnic double-date. They had found Chris in the labyrinth and helped put his mind together again that had been scrambled. Shortly thereafter, Clarisse and Chris actually got together.

And here they were, two happy couples. Percy could also see Grover and Juniper kissing at the edge of the forest, giggling and whispering. That was nice. Percy thought he wanted that too. Kind of. But he didn't really know with _whom_. He wasn't particularly good in that department.

"You're a rare demigod to find on your lonesome. Usually, you're trailed by two puppies."

Blinking, Percy looked up at Will Solace. The son of Apollo smiled and sat down next to him, though his focus was out in the water. Annabeth and Nyssa were playing water-ball against Leo and Nico. Percy frowned as he noted the lack of Jake.

"Have you seen Jake?", asked Percy curiously.

"Oh, yeah", grinned Will. "He is very busy with the task of planning our first date."

"...Date?", echoed Percy surprised, raising both eyebrows.

"Ye—ep", grinned Will a little flustered. "I figured, with the end of the world looming... why not go for it? He's been such a dork lately. Coming into the infirmary for every little scratch."

"That's cute", laughed Percy. "I'm happy for you."

"Uhm. Will...?", asked a shy and awkward Jake behind them.

"Looks like I'm up", grinned Will delighted as he got up. "You know, you should... have fun too. You're a fixer, I know. Trying to figure ways out how to _fix_ this. But... you're also only fifteen. You won't fix the world on your own. Go and enjoy your life, mh?"

Percy tilted his head at that. Will was right. Percy was a fixer. He always tried to fix everything. This war too. Trying to fix this situation. Frowning to himself, Percy toyed with the Mythodex. It had just been a fun little toy when he and Leo created it. Now, it housed the same software as Daedalus' laptop. Now, it housed a whole host of monsters and gods Percy and his friends had faced. So many horrors, so much pain. And still there was a prophecy to consider. One that put _Nico_ at risk. A child of the eldest gods. Nico di Angelo was the only non-immortal child of the Big Three. Percy Jackson was not going to let anything happen to Nico di Angelo.

/break\

"Hey, Perce. You up for sparring?"

Blinking slowly, Percy looked up to see Nico very up-close. Nico was bouncing on the balls of his feet. Next moment, Percy rolled off his bed and ruffled his hair. Nico paused and felt his cheeks heating up as Percy shrugged out of his sleep-shirt and grabbed a camp-shirt instead, giving Nico an interesting view for a moment. Then, Percy grabbed jeans and got fully dressed.

"Why are you nocturnal, Neeks?", complained Percy and yawned.

"It's morning", protested Nico, getting hit by a pillow from Jake.

"Shut u—up. It's not morning by my definition", groaned Jake annoyed.

Nico threw the pillow back and continued out of the cabin. He was antsy. He _loved_ sparring with Percy. It was a special connection they shared. Fire. As soon as they were in the arena, Nico balled both fists and summoned the Greek fire. After having watched _Hercules_ with Percy and Leo, he was a little bummed out that his fire wasn't blue, but he could actually do the Hades-thing. Setting his hair aflame. As always, Percy laughed delighted as Nico did that. Nico absolutely _loved_ Percy's laugh. It was carefree and beautiful. Grinning at Percy, Nico summoned flames around his fists too. Percy straightened his back and grabbed his sword, making his own fire surround the blade. It was his very special way to fight. A flaming sword like an avenging angel.

"Bring it on, di Angelo", prompted Percy with a mischievous grin.

Nico grabbed his own Stygian iron sword and the blades clashed. It was stupid to fall in love with his best friend's big brother who was also a great hero. But still...

"He—ey, no getting distracted, Neeks", chided Percy and pinned Nico to the ground.

Damn it. Being pinned to the ground by Percy was interesting. Glaring, Nico rolled them over and instead had Percy pinned beneath him. And okay. That was very interesting.

"What got you in a sparring mood this early anyway?", asked Percy as he tried wiggling out.

"Looming war not reason enough for you, Jackson?", countered Nico teasingly.

"Fair enough", huffed Percy. "Okay. Break?"

Sighing, Nico collapsed next to Percy on the ground, a circle of red and green fire around them. To Nico, they were a perfect match. Turning his head, Nico looked at Percy's profile.

"We're gonna win this", whispered Percy softly. "Together. I won't let anything happen to you."

Nico's heart jumped at that. Things like those were why Nico was hopelessly in love with Percy! Saying things like those, looking at Nico like that. How could he possibly not fall hopelessly in love with Percy...? That was right. It wasn't possible.

/break\

It was a year later, when Percy was sixteen and Leo and Nico were fourteen, that the war actually went down. Fighting Titans and monsters. Percy didn't understand it, Nico wasn't sixteen yet. But Nico was _strong_. He had trained so much, especially after he had learned of the prophecy.

"Percy. Been looking for you everywhere in the hotel."

Percy blinked a little sluggishly and looked up from where he sat with Grover, Annabeth and Thalia. It felt like a reunion of sorts. Leo was with Sally and Paul, making sure their parents were safe. When Percy looked up, he saw the di Angelo siblings standing next to each other. Bianca looked still the same as she had when she had joined the hunt. She smiled at him in greeting.

"Thalia, I've been looking for you. I made a headcount on the huntresses-", started Bianca.

Percy waved at Grover and Annabeth before he got up to follow Nico out. He looked really badass. Black jeans with a studded belt, black leather-jacket. He had also caught up with Percy and was by now about the same size as Percy. Curiously, Percy trailed after Nico to an empty room.

"What is it, Neeks?", asked Percy, turning around to face Nico.

"I... uh... Silena said I should tell you. Will said I should tell you before the world ends", muttered Nico red-cheeked, shuffling around. "You're my hero, Perce. You've been since you saved me and Bianca. And... the more I got to know you, spend time with you... I love you, Percy."

"...Love-love? Like... Like...", stammered Percy, his cheeks even redder than Nico's.

"In love with you", nodded Nico and took a deep breath. "It's okay. I know this is sudden for you and I know you never... thought about this before... but... I... I do love you..."

"I... I... haven't", admitted Percy with a frown. "Can... Can I think about it? I'm sorry. I just..."

"It's okay", assured Nico with the smallest, saddest smile. "I never expected you to... fall on your knees and propose to me or anything..."

Percy nodded and blinked slowly. He really had never thought about Nico that way. He had never really thought about _anyone_ like that before. Romance had never been on the forefront of Percy's mind. Still, he blushed when Nico leaned in and kissed his cheek.

"For... good luck", grumbled the son of Hades. "I'll see you on the other side of this war. And... we'll talk then, yeah? After we kicked Kronos' butt."

"Okay", nodded Percy a bit dazed.

/break\

They won the war. Somehow. Percy wasn't entirely sure _how_. The gods claimed that they had taken on Kronos themselves. Sure. Because the gods were super into fighting their own battles. And okay, so some of them had fought at their side. Hades, Persephone and Demeter had. Hephaestus too. It was still weird interacting with their dad, because he wasn't exactly the fatherly kind. They had run into him before, at his forges, in the labyrinth of Daedalus.

"Why are you still awake, Perce?", asked Leo, looking down from his bunk-bed.

Percy frowned and only then noticed that he was playing with a fire-ball. Right. That was bright. Kept Leo awake too and alerted him of Percy's awake state. Embarrassed, Percy turned it off.

"Just... been thinking about stuff", shrugged Percy.

" _What kind of stuff, boss?_ ", asked Blackjack and rested his head on Percy's stomach.

Talking dragons were _still_ kind of weird. But also intensely cool. Percy grinned and patted Blackjack's head. Leo climbed down from his own bed to crawl into Percy's and lay between him and the wall. Percy had put photos up there. Photos of them and their friends.

"...Nico confessed to me", mumbled Percy.

"Fi—inally!", exclaimed Leo relieved.

"W... What?", sputtered Percy doe-eyed.

"Dude. Nico is my best friend? Of course he told me", huffed Leo and rolled his eyes. "But I told him that I didn't want to get involved, because you're my brother and it'd be awkward. So—o?"

"So I don't know", sighed Percy. "I mean. Nico is kind and sweet and he's been protecting me and we've been fighting and training together... I... I guess we could... _try_? Like. A date?"

"Sounds good", grinned Leo, nudging his big brother.

/break\

Sally smiled softly as she straightened Percy's clothes. A date. A real date. Her baby boy got to live a normal, regular life, now that the war was finally over. Nico was cute and very much in love with Percy. And considering how nervous Percy was, he also had some kind of feelings.

"Have fun, Percy", offered Paul. "...But not too much fun. As your stepfather, I do have to say that, right? Do I have to give Nico a shovel talk too...? Sally, what are the rules?"

"The rules are to let the boys have fun", chuckled Sally and kissed Paul's cheek.

Percy took a deep breath and turned toward the door as it rang. A cutely nervous Nico was standing right in front of him, shifting awkwardly. He had even _flowers_.

"Hi. You look... pretty", offered Nico flustered.

"Uhm. Thanks", mumbled Percy red-cheeked. "So... movie and pizza, right?"

"Right", nodded Nico with a bright smile.

And while the two of them were super awkward during the movie, afterward during pizza things got better. They knew each other. They trusted each other. They had been nerding out about movies for years now. After learning that Nico wasn't from their time, Percy and Leo had made it their mission to show Nico everything he had been missing. It was so easy to talk to Nico. To be with Nico. With most people, Percy felt certain expectations. To be his best, to fix problems or things, to invent something helpful and better. With Nico, Percy could just... be himself.

"I really... enjoyed this", admitted Percy with a smile and a light blush.

"Yeah?", asked Nico hopefully, staring at the son of Hephaestus.

"So much", nodded Percy, smile growning. "And... And I'd... I'd like to actually give this a try. I mean, an actual relationship with you. Being... boyfriends."

"Really?", asked Nico with the largest eyes and smile.

Nodding, Percy leaned in to peck Nico's lips, making the son of Hades blush brightly.

/break\

Only that fate didn't want them to have a calm, simple relationship. No, fate wanted Gaia to rise and the demigods to go into yet another war only months after the Titan War ended. Of course did Leo, Percy, Nyssa, Jake and Beckendorf come along, after having built the Argo II. A ship needed an actual crew and someone for maintenance. Not that _anything_ would have kept Percy back because some jackass goddess had decided to take _his_ boyfriend and replace him with some blonde Roman.

"We're going to bring Nico back, Perce", promised Annabeth, nudging him.

The two of them stood on the bridge together. Clarisse was barking orders around, while Silena ran after her, trying to calm her down a little. Beckendorf was steering the ship. Percy sighed.

"I haven't even told him I love him yet", muttered Percy. "We have only been going out for... for half a year when she took him and I... I never really fond the right moment. What... What if I never get to see him again? And never got to tell him that I actually fell in love with him?"

"Brother. Stop being a downer", ordered Leo as he came to flank Percy from the other side, hip-checking him. "You got a super strong-willed boyfriend there. Nico _adores_ you. He would not _allow_ for himself to be killed like that, man. He gotta get back to _you_."

"But-", started Percy with a frown.

"No buts. Take it from his _best friend_ that Nico di Angelo would never abandon you like that", stated Leo very firmly, locking eyes with his brother. "He'd never do that."

/break\

"Are we sure about this plan?", asked Nico with a frown.

"Not really, no", muttered Percy and shook his head. "It's a suicide mission."

And it was. _To storm of fire, the world must fall_. Leo gulped hard as he looked at his brother and his best friend. It truly was a suicide mission. But the three of them had agreed on this. That they would be the fire to make the world burn, before any of their friends could be hurt.

"You gotta leave. Take care of the others", whispered Nico, ruffling Mrs. O'Leary's fur.

"You too, Blackjack", ordered Percy. "Just... in case... in case we don't return. Keep mom safe."

" _I don't like that plan at all, boss_ ", frowned the dragon, nudging Percy.

"I know you don't", chuckled Percy. "Make sure Annabeth makes it out alive."

The dragon whined and nodded. Leo sat on Festus, looking scared. Of course he did. Leo was only fifteen. Percy hated himself for putting his baby brother into danger like that. But then again, he didn't him and Nico alone would stand a chance. They needed Leo. Leo had _insisted_. He had said their survival rate was really low otherwise and he would definitely not let his big brother and his best friend die. Watching Mrs. O'Leary leave through the shadows and Blackjack fly off, Percy grabbed Nico's hand to stop him from approaching Festus.

"Wait. Before...", started Percy and took a shaky breath, cheeks dark-red.

"Yeah, Perce?", asked Nico a little confused, lifting Percy's hand up to kiss it. "I missed you."

And he had. Having been held captive, memory-wiped with only the faintest echo of Percy's smile and Percy's name in the back of his mind. Fighting alongside of Reyna and Frank, slowly regaining his memories, fighting fiercely to get back to his boyfriend. And then, _finally_ , being reunited with Percy as he and the Argo II arrived in New Rome.

"Just... Just in case we die", muttered Percy flustered and leaned in to kiss Nico deeply. "I love you. I love you _so much_. And... And I've fallen in love with you even before you got abducted, but I never really knew what would be the right moment to tell you and then you got abducted and now, on the ship, with _everyone_. But... I can't risk us dying and you not knowing tha.t.. that I am totally and completely in love with you, Neeks."

Nico just gaped and stared at him. Then gaped some more. Then blinked a couple time, opening his mouth and closing it again. He tilted his head, opening and closing his mouth another couple times.

"Pe—ercy. Did you have to break Nico before the big show-down?", groaned Leo.

"I love you, Nico", smiled Percy, kissing his boyfriend. "Come on. Let's save the world."

Nico nodded and climbed on after Percy. The three boys clung onto their metal-dragon as they rode into battle. They'd use their fire to blast Gaia to smithereens.

"I love you too, Percy", grunted Nico, kissing Percy's cheek. "Let's do this."

"Ah. Great. Wonderful. I love the both of you, now let's hurry", tagged Leo on.

All three of them over-exhausted their power as they went flame-on, as Leo liked to call it. Nico, wielding the Greek fire of Hades, Percy and Leo channeling the fire of Hephaestus. Everything was burning around them. Percy was holding tightly onto Nico's hand as everything was set ablaze.

/break\

Percy smiled faintly as he came to it in the infirmary. Tilting his head left, he saw Leo, unconscious. Turning his head right, he saw Nico, also unconscious. They had done it. They watched the world burn and saved it in the process. Getting up, he walked over to collapse on Nico's bed to cuddle up to the son of Hades. They had done it. They had saved the world by burning it to the ground.

"I love you", mumbled Percy sleepily, nuzzling into Nico's chest.

"Love you too, Perce", yawned Nico, sluggishly blinking his eyes open. "So, we won?"

"Long as I have you, I always win", grinned Percy, pecking Nico's lips.

"So sappy. I didn't save the world for the sappiness!", groaned Leo dramatically.

"Oh, all three of you shut up!", warned Will as he came storming into his infirmary. "If it weren't for Jake, I would kill two out of three myself for this scare!"

Jake, Nyssa, Beckendorf and Bianca came pouring in next, circling around their respective siblings. Bianca glared at Nico before kissing his cheeks, then glaring some more. Nyssa nearly suffocated Leo and so did Silena as she came to join them. Silena and Beckendorf had become kind of parental figures to their cabin, of course did they worry a lot. Percy grinned and turned to look at his boyfriend as the trio was being smothered by their family.

 _~*~ The End ~*~_

* * *

 _Author's note: With all of the powers Riordan gave Nico, I was kind of always peeved that he didn't get fire-control. The underworld has very special and distinctive fire and the son of Hades should be able to control it.  
_

 _Secondly, I really wanted to write a brothers!Leo &Percy fic so when I got this fic-title in the Fake Fic Title game I played on tumblr (come visit me at **takaraphoenix** ), I had to combine both of those things and triple down on the fire. ;D_


End file.
